More Human Than Human
by Alexionite
Summary: 18 finds herself feeling empty, and unhuman, how will she come to terms with what she has been made into? please review! Rating for language later. RR K18 CHAPTER5 UP! (finally)
1. Prolouge

A/N hey all this chapter is seriously minutely short but i doth have a reason, i need to know if there is any interest, if there is the next chapter will be up super quick and will be thrice as long ! :D  
  
DISCLAIMER; think i own anything that's copyrighted? You are quite obviously a demented weirdo in need of medical attention; my collective wealth comes to just under £5 so no I don't own anything of any value.  
  
Prologue- More human than human  
  
In celebration of Goku's 35th birthday, Bulma was throwing another party, kami that woman liked playing the hostess, she had once thrown a party in honour of Vegeta going a whole week without breaking the G.R. so as you can imagine, this was a pretty BIG party (booze, lots of people etc).  
  
18 wandered through the crowd, oblivious to the loud music, random guys hitting on her and Goku collapsing at her feet in a fit of laughter. Everyone was having a good time, god she wished she could be like them, what she wouldn't have given to be anyone else in that room... She sat down at the bar and ordered a vodka and cranberry mixer.  
  
"18, honey, are you okay?" Krillen asked, "It's just you seem a bit, well, off"  
  
"What gave you that impression?" 18 replied with a sigh.  
  
"Well you've got you're elbow on a plate of pizza to begin with."  
  
18 looked and removed her arm with disgust, "I'm fine Krillen, just have some things I need to think about."  
  
Krillen had learned by now, that it wasn't usually a smart idea to press matters which 18 said she didn't want to get into, but he went ahead and did it anyway, " 18, I know I may look it, but I'm not stupid, now tell me what's wrong?"  
  
"Nothing. I'm just a cold heartless lump of metal, with no memory to speak of, and no capability of feeling like a normal human being. I have a mind full of useless information, I can tell the chemical composition of something just by looking at it.... But I can't even remember my mother's name." She tried her level best to make it sound like she was just stating a fact, but she couldn't keep the pain from shaking her voice, or the tears from filling her eyes.  
  
"18, honey.."  
  
Her drink arrived and she downed it in one, she turned to look at Krillen, her eyes full of distress, "There's a part of me missing, I don't know what it is, but I can feel it, there is an empty space inside me, and it bores deep into my soul." She looked away again as a single tear rolled down her porcelain cheek, she glanced once more across the view of the party before raising from her seat, going outside, a flying off into the starlit midnight sky.  
  
Krillen stared after her, trying to contemplate what had just happened, when Yamucha came up behind him, "Hey, you seen Bulma?"  
  
"No, last time I saw her was about an hour ago talking to some of her employees..."  
  
"Oh, right"  
  
"Hey have i done something really offensive, or strange in the last 3 hours?"  
  
"Not that I know of buddy, why"  
  
"Oh ...no reason."  
  
A/N anyway if you like it, or are even vaguely interested in where this is going you need to review!!!!! ^-^ 


	2. Chapter 1 Forget?

A/N okay yea again with the shortness, the chapters will get longer okay, i promise, (but only if you're good little readers and review!) Please let me know what you think, this is only a kinda filler chappy anyway but still good or bad I wanna hear it! (NO FLAMES I'm a sensitive soul)  
  
DISCLAIMER: no I own nothing of any value you demented Babel fish  
  
Chapter 1- Forget? More Human than Human  
  
It was a week after that crazy party, and Krilllen still hadn't figured out what had caused 18's outburst. Since she's flown off that night she had been keeping to herself more than ever, barely saying a word more than was necessary....  
  
"Honey, don't you want any breakfast?" Krillen yelled out from the kitchen.  
  
"Not really..." She mumbled in reply.  
  
"What? I can't hear you"  
  
"NO!"  
  
She walked out the front door across the golden sand, savouring the way it felt against the bare soles of her feet. A breeze blew across the island, whipping her hair back from her face and she sat down on the beach, letting the water wash up and down against her legs. 18 closed her eyes and raised her face to the sun, she loved the way it felt, warm and secure and certain, it gave her sense of stability in her all too uncertain life. Why couldn't life always be this simple?  
  
"18?" Krillen glanced around, "18! Dammit where are you?"  
  
"I'm over here..." Her melodious voice came from under the shadow of a nearby tree.  
  
Krillen found her sitting on the ground, her knees clutched to her chest, her arms shaking ever so slightly and her eyes still closed.  
  
"18? Look I understand. I know that what Gero did to you still has you kinda screwed up okay? I know that. But babe, come on, you need to look past what happened, look to the future, you can't let what that freak did to you ruin the rest of your life. You need to pull yourself together, you know, forget about it."  
  
She slowly opened her eyes and turned to look at him.  
  
"That is exactly the problem," she replied, emphasizing each word as she said it, "FORGETTING IS EXACTLY THE PROBLEM!!! I can't remember anything, anything that was worth knowing was wiped from my mind a long time ago... Dammit Krillen, I don't even know how fucking old I am!!!" She looked away  
  
An awkward silence descended upon the couple, what could he say to that? It was true; everything she had just said was true.  
  
"You know how to love me don't you?" Krillen whispered, she turned her head back to look at him. "Can you love me enough to get yourself through this?"  
  
He kissed her gently on the forehead, before getting up and returning to Kame house. 


	3. Chapter 2 Why can't guys cook?

A/N hey all, yey I got more reviews, *dances with joy* so yea I just wanna thank Deadly Beauty, dark-mean-me, quittakingmyname and Sweetlilbee for their reviews (Android^-^eighteen is not being thanked as, frankly Serena, I like to piss you off) I would also like to point out that this is very slightly A/U as although it's set in the time between cell and buu, Goku never died. Anyway yea enough of the deranged babbling.  
  
"What the hell?" Krillen thought aloud as the retching sounds coming from the bathroom woke him up, "18, what are you doing? Are you alright?"  
  
"Sure, yea...... probably just something I ate."  
  
"Ha, I told you not to leave Roshi in charge of dinner but would you listen?"  
  
"Yea I don't think I'll be doing that again anytime soon!" 18 remarked as she emerged from the bathroom clutching her stomach. "Seriously though, what was that he tried to feed us?"  
  
"Seriously though, do you want to find out? I know I don't" Krillen smiled, despite being ill 18 hadn't been this loose and casual in ages.  
  
She slid back into bed beside him and laid her head on his chest. "Promise me something Krillen, you won't ever leave me will you?"  
  
"What? No of course not, I'm always going to be here honey, whether you want me here or not"  
  
"That's good to know," she smiled up at him, content and peacefully lying in his arms.  
  
"Sometimes I wonder what I did to deserve you." Krillen thought aloud, staring down at his beautiful girl.  
  
They both awoke several hours later, due to the racket Oolong was making from banging on the door, demanding to know whether 18 was in there and if so demanding she got up this very second as the men downstairs were hungry and he wasn't sure he could survive another one of Master Roshi's culinary concoctions. (A/N anyone else think that paragraph didn't make much sense?!)  
  
"Fine, yea, I'm up" 18 mumbled groggily  
  
"You alright in there?"  
  
"...." Is how far she got in answering that question before making another dive for the bathroom.  
  
***  
  
Several hours later, 18 had finally managed to calm her stomach down enough to face cooking something. She stood next to the hob (A/N I dunno what you Americans call it but you know the gas rings on the surface above the oven) keeping an eye on about 10 different pans filled with eggs, bacon, and the other rubbish the men liked to eat in the morning. Normally this would not have been a very taxing task, but it was getting close to midday and she had to cook in a kitchen full of whiny, ravenous men while she was ill. Not exactly her idea of heaven.  
  
"18, how much longer is that damn food going to take?!" Roshi complained.  
  
"Yea, I'm hungry!!!!" Oolong whined.  
  
"Um... yea I don't want to keep annoying you or anything honey, but how?"  
  
"AAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHH" 18 cut Krillen off, "THE BLOODY FOOD WILL BE AS LONG AS THE BLOODY FOOD TAKES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! IN FACT HERE YOU GO PIG BOY," she threw an apron at Oolong, "IF YOU'RE IN SUCH A GOD DAMN HURRY MAKE IT YOURSELVES"  
  
She stormed out of the room leaving a room of bewildered men behind her, "What's got her?" said Roshi  
  
"Noooo idea"  
  
A/N agggghhh again with the shortness, right i want opinions (and reviews) would people rather i wrote short chapters and updated quickly or wrote longer chapters and took a while to update? Anyway yea this chapter sucked too but the story will start to move in the next chapter so......review review review review...........please?! 


	4. Chapter 3 Visiting time

Disclaimer: owner of dbz, that me! Yep that's right own the right to everything concerning it!  
  
Random Vegeta Doll on desk: No you don't you stupid Baka, hmph, she doesn't own it, sometimes I wonder if you're related to Kakarot, and anyway i am not a DOLL, i am an a-c-t-i-o-n f-i-g-u-r-e  
  
Alexionite: yea sure you are, anyway on with the storyness.  
  
"Uggghhh" 18 sluggishly dragged herself out of bed, man she felt like crap, it had been a week since the incident with the terrible food but 18 felt worse if anything.  
  
"Babe? I'm off out okay, be back around 6ish" Krillen called from the kitchen.  
  
"Oh you're going out? Wish i could go someplace, then again, I have nowhere to go, i have no friends, or i would go shopping, but i there is nothing I need or want...." 18 ranted, her voice dripping with sarcasm as she herself entered the kitchen, upon seeing Krillens confused expression she continued, "Oh kami, I'm sorry Krillen, sometimes i just get bored you know, where are you going anyway?"  
  
"I'm gonna stop off at the capsule corp., and then go on to see Chichi and the new baby"  
  
"Oh, well you have fun then"  
  
"Yeah....uh, 18? Do you wanna come with?  
  
"No, it's okay, I'll be fine right here, but I swear if Roshi tries to look down my top one more time!"  
  
"I think you've put him off for a while, ya know after you threw him though the wall last time"  
  
"Yeah," she smiled, "Anyway you go and have fun"  
  
******  
  
Krillen landed silently in Capsule corp.'s back garden and looked up to see Bulma standing next to an open window, he flew up until he was level with it and said , "hey Bulma!"  
  
Bulma looked up, "Aagh! Oh it's you Krillen, did you have to do that? I don't care what anyone says, flying people still freak me out!"  
  
"Sorry," he blushed, "do you have those things for me to take over?"  
  
"What things? Oh, right the crib and stuff, yea come on in and I'll get them for you"  
  
Krillen flew in through the open window and followed Bulma to the attic.  
  
"Well here they are," Bulma said, gesturing towards several large boxes, "I packed the stuff up to make it easier for you but its still pretty awkward, are you sure you'll be able to manage flying with these things?"  
  
"Sure I will, don't you worry." Krillen walked forward, picked up the two stacks of boxes and walked back in the direction he had come with ease. "I'd love to stay and catch up with stuff Bulma, but I better get these across there, Chichi mentioned wanting some help moving furniture, and I can't get back too late tonight so I'd better be going."  
  
"Yea I understand, say hi to Chichi from me okay?"  
  
"You bet."  
  
******  
  
18 wandered through the empty house, Master Roshi and Oolong had decided to go outside and keep out of the temperamental ice queen's way.  
  
'Why do I always do that?! I treat the poor bastard like shit, and all he was doing way being nice. I love him goddammit, I hope he knows that..... I need to know he knows that.' She suddenly felt light headed and had to sit down on the couch, 'I feel like crap, surely no-ones cooking can be that bad? What the hell's wrong with me?"  
  
******  
  
"Hey Chichi!" Krillen called to the tired looking woman on the ground a little way ahead of him.  
  
"Krillen! What a nice surprise, how have you been?"  
  
"No worse than usual, what about you?"  
  
"Okay I guess"  
  
"How's the baby?"  
  
"Goten? He's fine, would you like to put those boxes down they look heavy?"  
  
"Oh right, yea, its just that stuff I said I'd bring from Bulma, crib and stuff, she figured you may as well have them, she doesn't need them for Trunks anymore an we all know Goku doesn't bring in that much cash."  
  
"How thoughtful, I shall have to call and thank her. Anyway do you want to see the baby?"  
  
"Do I ever!"  
  
Krillen followed Chichi into the house to where the cutest little baby was sleeping, sucking on his fist. (A/N have you ever seen a baby do that? It's so cute!)  
  
"Aww, look at him! He looks so much like Goku.... How's Goku getting on with the little guy?"  
  
"Oh he positively adores him! Not the most knowledgeable person on the subject of fathering mind you, but still!"  
  
"Where is Goku anyway?"  
  
"Oh he went off with Gohan to see Piccolo somewhere or other, I'm telling you, all this having friends stuff is very well but if it gets in the way of my baby's studies, well then it's just not worth it!"  
  
"Sure Chichi........"  
  
Krillen spent the next couple of hours helping Chichi move stuff around and set up the new furniture, which may sound like a relatively simple task but becomes somewhat more complex with a baby screaming in the background and a tired, erratic supermom being indecisive about where she wants to put things. Finally however, Chichi made up her mind and they finished emptying the boxes...  
  
The pair (plus Goten in Chichi's arms) stood back to admire their work.  
  
"Thank you so much Krillen, I had no idea it would take so long! I imagine you want to get going, the guys back on the island must be getting pretty worried about you, you've been here at least five hours."  
  
"Five hours huh? Yea I guess I should get going, if I don't et back soon the three of them will have eaten everything."  
  
"Three of them? Oh has Maron moved back in?"  
  
"Nah she's history" Krillen said offhandedly  
  
"Then who's the third? Got a new girlfriend Krillen?"  
  
"Yea something like that, I brought her to the party."  
  
"Well I probably didn't see her, there were so many people at that party, and I spent most of my time trying to stop Vegeta getting drunk, that man really is a menace to society, I often wonder what Bulma sees in him, all he does is....." Chichi ranted on, forgetting completely about her original question.  
  
"Yea, well anyway, I better get going, seeya" he flew off without another word.  
  
'Damn, how could I spend so long moving stupid furniture, I told 18 I'd be home by 6,' he thought to himself as he drifted through the now starry sky. He looked at his watch, 'Shit! It's almost 8', he scolded himself, before speeding up and flying off towards the horizon.  
  
A/N yey I wrote a longer chapter, well enjoy everyone!!! I would also just like to thank everyone for the reviews that I've been getting, i really appreciate the encouragement. Oh yea and i command all of you to go the Deadly Beauty 's page and read up on the Krillen/18 campaign, because it's a really good idea :D/ Anyway as always, review review review. 


	5. Chapter 4 I love you

A/N I am officially dedicating this chapter to Deadly Beauty because she gave me such a great review! I really do find your reviews encouraging : ) She's also a brilliant writer so go and read her stuff......now! (Okay well maybe after you've read mine)  
  
Disclaimer: i own nothing (except this really cool black silk skirt with this thing on....)  
  
Krillen sped onwards towards the small island he called home, he had this strange feeling he couldn't shake off.........he felt guilty for taking longer than he said.........but that wasn't it, it was like something was wrong. He had to get home. Now.  
  
He landed on the edge of the island within minutes, to find Oolong and Master Roshi having a barbeque on the beach.  
  
"Hey Krillen what's the hurry? Want a burger?" Oolong asked  
  
"Where's 18?" Krillen asked, ignoring Oolong's questions.  
  
"18? Inside I guess, she was in a bad mood so we decided to cook out here....I haven't seen her for hours" Roshi said  
  
Krillen immediately headed for the house, he needed to know that she was okay....  
  
"Hey! Are you alright?" Roshi called after him, receiving no reply.  
  
******  
  
Krillen quickly opened the door and ran through the house, "18? 18, where are you?"  
  
He reached the living room, "no," he whispered at what he saw before him, "God no," he said a little louder.  
  
He kneeled down beside 18's unconscious form, which was lying limp on the floor. "18! Baby wake up!" he shook her in a fruitless attempt to wake her, when he received no response he put his fingers to her neck.......and he found a pulse, "Thank Kami," He lifted her effortlessly onto the couch, taking a moment to wipe her hair from her face and admire her beauty, before making a dive for the telephone and dialling the first number that came to mind.  
  
"Hello, Briefs residence, how may I help you?"  
  
"Bulma? Thank God you're there"  
  
"Krillen? Is that you? Are you alright?  
  
"Not exactly, I just came back from helping Chichi and I found 18 unconscious..."  
  
"18?" Bulma interrupted  
  
"Yea, look I'll explain everything later, its just, I don't know what to do, she quite obviously needs help, but I'm afraid if I take her to a hospital, they'll notice that she's....... not exactly normal, I'm sorry Bulma but I didn't know who else to call" his voice was shaking and he was evidently in a state of panic.  
  
"Krillen, you need to calm down, tell me, apart from her being unconscious is anything else visibly wrong?"  
  
"No, she'd been feeling ill for a few days but we all thought she'd just eaten something bad......"  
  
"Okay well.....um.....bring her to the med wing at the capsule corp. offices. It's practically a hospital anyway and I can explain the uh... 'unusual' circumstances"  
  
"Thank you so much Bulma, I seriously freaked when I came in and saw...."  
  
"Its fine Krillen, just get her over here quick okay?"  
  
Krillen didn't even bother to reply before hanging up and gently lifting 18 from the couch. He rushed outside, ignoring the questions and remarks from Roshi and Oolong before once again flying off towards the horizon.  
  
*****  
  
The minute he arrived at the Capsule corp. office doors, Bulma bombarded him with a series of questions; When did you find her like this? How long has she been ill? What was the last thing she ate?  
  
He knew he was answering these questions, he could see Bulma nodding her head and putting her arm around his shoulders, but it was like his brain had been disconnected from the rest of him, his mind was swimming, he was so confused. His body seemed to continue to function without him......... all he could really think about was seeing his beautiful angel snatched away from him and taken behind those doors......where he couldn't follow her.  
  
"Krillen?"  
  
He was sure he could hear someone's voice...  
  
"Krillen!"  
  
He snapped back to reality, "Oh sorry Bulma, I was just thinking"  
  
"You're scared huh?"  
  
"........Yea....... yea I am........I mean when I came in and saw her like that.......I really thought..."  
  
"I know Krillen, its okay.....everything's gonna be okay"  
  
At that point a tall, female doctor came over and took Bulma off somewhere to talk, leaving Krillen alone with his thoughts...  
  
"Why do you do this to me?" he said to no-one in particular, "as soon as I find something that I truly love you want to take it away from me...it's so unfair, am I not allowed to be happy?" he despaired, wallowing in self- pity, he just couldn't get that image of 18 out of his head. She'd looked so helpless; lying limp on the trolley with tubes coming out of her...she'd looked sad...  
  
Bulma came back from speaking to the doctor and sat down next to Krillen. She smiled at him with an air of empathy and said, "Well, they've managed to stabilise her, but they can't figure out what caused her to collapse yet"  
  
"Bulma?"  
  
"Yea?"  
  
"Thanks."  
  
"Anytime"  
  
"So...can I see her?" Krillen mumbled.  
  
"Yea, okay...its just, be prepared for what you're gonna see okay, it might look really bad, but remember we're trying to help her."  
  
"I know."  
  
"Okay well, I'll just go and tell Dr Ramna where we're going."  
  
*****  
  
Bulma lead Krillen through the long white corridors leading to the intensive care unit, it really wasn't all that far but for Krillen each step seemed like an eternity.  
  
Eventually they reached their destination and Krillen turned to look through the glass wall...and there she was...lying limp, with tubes coming out of her wrists and chest, she was surrounded by machines, beeping and grinding...she looked like she was sleeping... but not altogether at rest...  
  
"Are you okay? You can go in if you want to." Bulma whispered, there had been silence for so long that speaking loudly would seem like sacrilege.  
  
"I think I'd like that." Krillen replied, his eyes never leaving the image through the glass.  
  
"Okay, come on."  
  
Bulma quietly opened the door, let Krillen in and left again, he needed to be alone. Krillen walked across to the bed. He took hold of 18's hand and let the sound of her gentle breathing resound in his head, "Wake up baby, you're not just gonna leave me are you... I love you 18," he whispered as a single tear rolled down his cheek, "I love you."  
  
A/N so what did ya think, I'd really love to hear in a review people!!!! Sorry it took me so long, but I wanted to get this chapter right, anyways as always, review, review, review!!!! 


	6. Chapter 5 I love you too

A/N I AM SO SORRY SO VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY SORRY!!!!!! begs for forgiveness I have been so busy, i know 2 months without and update is a reeeeeealy long time, but I have been busy with exams and stuff, its not an excuse mind you, just a reason. Again, its not very long and again its not very good, it needs some improvement but I'm going on holiday tomorrow and I figured I'd taken long enough already. Hope it will do for you...here goes....

Disclaimer: before I forget i don't own dbz or anything remotely related to it...'cept my vegeta doll of course...

Vegeta doll: I AM AN ACTION FIGURE!!!!!

Krillen sat beside the bed, blocking out all distractions, focusing all of his thoughts onto what lay before him. He had been there for almost 12 hours now, leaving 18's side only once when Bulma had insisted that he ate something, no... he never wanted to leave her...

It was almost like torture, watching her in this state, like a fallen lion, a once proud, mighty creature brought to its knees, but at the same time he couldn't leave, he absolutely had to be there when she woke up....if she woke up...

"Krillen?", Bulma popped her head around the door, "The doctors think they have figured out what happened, doctor Ramna would like to speak to you....if you don't want to I could tell her to,"

"No," Krillen interrupted, "I want to know, I need to know what's wrong."

"Okay, come on then."

He followed Bulma outside into the corridor where the tall, thin doctor was waiting, "Mr...I'm sorry, I didn't catch your last name...the young woman's chart just says 18."

"Her last name? It's err...Roshi," he lied quickly, "and you can just call me Krillen."

"Are you her partner?"

"Yeah....something like that."

"Well Krillen, I'm sure you'd like to know what's been going on," Krillen nodded in response, "well, we've run some tests and it would seem that when she was being modified, becoming an android," Krillen's face slowly formed an expression of both shock and horror, "don't worry sir, I'm the only person to have been informed, Ms Briefs only told me because she felt it was necessary for me to know...her secret is quite safe." Krillen appeared to be comforted slightly by this, the doctor continued, "Well it would seem that a microchip was implanted into the lining of her stomach, which is what gave her an unlimited energy supply, well this chip seems to have become damaged in some way causing her to collapse...we hope she will recover, but under the circumstances its really quite difficult to say, I'm so sorry."

"It's okay, Thank you Doctor." Krillen said quietly, before turning his back and returning to 18's room.

He sat back down on the hard plastic chair next to the bed, Bulma had brought him a more comfortable chair hours ago, but while he had accepted it and thanked her, he was afraid that if he sat on something comfortable he would collapse from the sheer exhaustion of the previous evening... and he couldn't let that happen...

Bulma popped her head round the door into the room once more, "Will you be okay?" she asked, a sad smile gracing her lips, "Stupid question I guess huh?"

"Yea...kinda"

"Just take care of yourself okay? I know you want to look after 18, but we're all here to help with that...I'm just starting to wonder who's looking after you..."

"I'll be fine, you should go home Bulma, your family are probably missing you."

"They can feed themselves for a couple of hours. Right now I'm here for you Krillen."

"Thanks Bulma, but really, I'll be okay, right now I think I just need to be on my own."

"Okay then, just remember, you're still human, you need food and sleep, make sure you get it." And with that Bulma turned and left the small room.

Krillen turned his head and looked down at his sleeping angel, even in this state she was the most gorgeous thing he's ever layed eyes on. He stroked a few strands of hair away from her face to reveal a purple smudge on her forehead, 'She must have hit her head as she fell," Krillen mused to himself, he yawned and shook his head, "This is mad....maybe Bulma's right, I should get some sleep."

He stumbled to his feet and lightly brushed a kiss onto 18's cheek before turning to leave the room, he knew Bulma had made arrangements for some of his clothes to be brought over and a bed to be set aside for him, he'd just head over to reception and ask where to go.

Just as he was about to leave he heard a groan, ' Snap out of it man your just sleep deprived.'

He continued to make his way out the door when he heard, "Uhh...Krillen? Krillen don't leave me..."

"18?" He whispered, barely daring to say her name. He turned back to her to see her eyelids fluttering open..."18!" He rushed over to her and wrapped his arms around her, as well as he could with her lying down, inhaling deeply the scent of her hair and cherishing the soft feeling of her skin against his...

"I love you too Krillen."

A/N Well that's it, I plan to write my next chapter by the pool so hopefully it should only be a couple of weeks before I update this time...but I think by now we all know not to trust me and my estimates of when I'll update...anyway as always, review review review!!!


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